easy? No, but it informs the decision of whether your perspective is implemented or not. Maybe next time, they will hear you out or seek you out. Either way, you represented your voice and made it part of the process. Cole: What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the Healthcare industry today, and how do you see Connect for Health Colorado overcoming them? Patterson: Cost is a large component of health care today. Based on our experience, I talk a lot nationwide about our customers’ buying habits. However, I also hear about people’s confusion about health insurance. The industry uses many words that are jargon to the industry, and it doesn’t help the consumer understand how the components work together. At Connect for Health Colorado, we have help on our website to explain these terms and how they impact consumers as they use their insurance. We partner with brokers and assisters across the state to have a person in their community where they can seek assistance to understand their consumer choices. We are working to implement more decision support tools to break down the confusion and have consumers pick choices based on where they live, the doctor they want to see, the formulary they need to manage their condition, and other shopping assistance so it isn’t as overwhelming. Cole: How clear is your vision for what the future of corporate responsibility should look like at connect for health Colorado? Patterson: Our enabling legislation and strategic plan are to support access, affordability, and choice in the health insurance market for individuals and small businesses. Above all the work supporting our consumers’ shopping, we sponsor community-based organizations helping to bring more people to health insurance. We are moving to emphasize social determinants of health so that we can focus on populations who are still looking for their way to health
insurance. We have the structure of a business with a revenue line through our enrollment to serve a population with assistance available through tax credits to afford health insurance. This helps provide lower cost and preventative services, leading to better health outcomes for the consumer and overall cost reductions for everyone covered. Cole: In What Direction Does Connect for Health Colorado See Itself Going? Patterson: Connect for Health Colorado has completed eleven open enrollments. We have made huge gains from an initially rocky start to one of the most innovative state exchanges in the nation. I see continued success in reaching more potential customers, but we do have some political decisions that will be made in the coming months that will change how we move forward. The one thing I know is that this organization will continue to be creative while we look for ways to be that one source of information for health insurance for those who do not get their coverage at work or through Medicaid or Medicare. We have more work to do and more Coloradans to cover.
23 The Acumen
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